The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-04-21
PATRONYMICS OF MANY KINDS.
Some Queer English and German Name,
and Their supposed Origin.
PittSbury Dispatch.

Pittshury Dispatch
The devil has got stuck" was the
surprising statement of German grocer
the other day.
Got stuck: Well. that is news. . said
the reporter who overheard the remark
How did that happen
''Oh, you misunderstood | said he
has got Stock-nOt stuck. He mas been
after him for some time"
You mean that Mr. Stock is dead =
asked the reporter.
The German was 50 amused that he
was unable to reply for a minute or two.
being nearly choked with Taught, T. Il
mean that my neighbor. TeufeI. the
butcher. has been trying for some time
to hire a man named Stock, with whom
| am acquainted, and has at last sue
ceeded in engaging him. Now, do you
catch on 2:
We'll. of all queer Names Tuefel Is the
queerest, said the reporter.
1T Is respectable German surname
and no stranger than many other family
names would appear If converted into
English. said the grocer. For instance
| know a man named Zchfusa-toe-nail
Then We have DreifuSs, which means
three feet; Langbein. long legs: Ochsen-
hirt. OK herd; KIeinhans. little Jack;
Wolfschlager, wolf killer: HundsbIut,
tAo-S y OAociE
finger, crooked finger; SchwarzkOpf,
black head; Grosskopf, big head; Kalbs-
tieisch. veal; knobeloch. garlic; Kraut.
cabbage, and scores of others | could
name.
For long names take these: Riemen-
schneider, Blanl-enbuhler. Schluessel-
bruner, Schneiderlochner, - ngenecker
and Guckenheimer. Some of the PENN
sylvania Dutch names. which have been
L. s.
worst. Up in Armstrong County there
are several families by the name of
Schreckengeist. which signifies in Ger
man "A ghost or specter of terrible appear
ance. One would think the name could
be made no worse, but some of the peo-
pie have succeeded in Transforming it
into Shrieking- ghost. MiIliron, Morn
ingstar, Redhelfer and Barndollar are
other German names which have been
partly translated.
Il don't know the origin Of sur
names, said literary friend in CONVEX
satlOn with the reporter. 1T is certain
~ very ancient, and a mark distinguish
ing civilized people from savages The
Romans had double. treble or even quad
ripple names, as for example, Caius
Julius Caesar. Tarquinius Superbus and
Quintus Fabius Maximus. Frequently
| an honorary name was added to COM
memOrate some warlike achievement:
Fabius was called Cunctator. and Scipio
| AfricanuS.
''AnglO-SaXOns appear to have first
| given surnameS indicating some moral
| or mental attributes, as. for instance.
| Wise. Good, Swift. Jolly, Merry. Meek.
Gay. Goodman, Makepeace. &c Then
| we have names indicating real or fancied
resemblance to some animal. such as
Bear. Lion, Wolf. HOgg, Hart and Hare
| From physical characteristics or peculi-
| arities must have originated such names
| as Long, Short, Black, Brown, White.
| Whitehead, CroOkshank, Strong. Arm
strong, LOngfellOw and Greathead. A
nickname kept in a family for genera
| ton or two becomes a patronymic
| Hence such names as Hopper, Jumper
Springer. Daddysman. Poor and Rich.
The Nc and o of the Irish and the
Mac of the Scotch indicate descent.
There is another way in which the same
| thing is shown: Adams son becomes
Adamson. Davids son Davidson, Thomp-
| son, Wilson. Williamson. Donaldson.
Anderson and many other names are
similarly derived. Localities or places
of residence originally gave rise to such
| names as Hill. Dale Wood Green. Green
wood. Heath. Rivers, Waters and Parks
Such names as Welsh. French. Irish. Ire
land, English and Scott may perhaps be
D
remote ancestor.
The names which were derived from
occupations are probably more numerous
than any other class. We all know how
widespread the Smith family is. In the
same category belong the Clarks clerk
originality, Cooks, Coopers, Bakers. Bar
beers, Taylors, ShOemakers. Tanners. Far
mers and others. The months or DAYS
IN which people were born originated
such names as May, June, January.
March. Friday and Monday.
The inns of old England are probably
responsible for many names. For in
stance, John of the Rose became John
Rose; Thomas of the Bell. Tom Bell:
Richard of the Hawk, Richard Hawk:
Henry of the 'greathouse' became Henry
Greathouse, and So on, until there is
scarcely a bird, animal or other device
that ever figured ON a signboard that is
not perPetuated as a family name.
There are, perhaps. as many queer
names among the English as among any
people on earth. Dickens stories abound
in them. vet very few of his names were
manufactured Such names as Slaugh-
ter. Startup. GOtObed. Deadman Church
yard, Dogberry and Fudge are found in
the English dictionaries
Sometimes the very queerest names
get coupled together as the title of
Hrnl- here are Few specimens: Hook
x ketch. Cobb * Hay, Peacock & Spar
row, Fox x Crane. Singer & Hooter.
Drake x Gander. Fisher Il Fowler. Cos
lin & Pond. Wild & Free
The poverty of the invention of the
pioneer community in America in the
matter of names for towns results in be-
slowing some absurd appellations on
backwOOds hamlets. Who can name
county, either East or West. which has
net some struggling village styled, Paris.
Oxford, Jerusalem. London. Berlin or
something else equally absurd.